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5 Negative Beliefs That Will Affect Your Success Now

Why it’s Important for You to Guard Your Thoughts

Our results often are a reflection of our beliefs. If we are not getting the results we want, chances are we have beliefs that may not be serving us.

Negative or limiting beliefs are thoughts that have become what we believe to be true, whereas in actual reality, those thoughts may not be true.

For example, consider someone trying to lose weight. Based on their previous experiences, what they have been told or what they have learned, they may have had limited success in losing weight. Some of the beliefs they could form includes:

I’m never going to lose the weight I want to.

Losing weight is hard.

What’s the point of even trying? I’m going to fail anyway!

There must be something wrong with me because others are able to lose weight easily.

I’ll always be overweight or fat.

And so on.

With thought patterns like those above and because there are strong emotions associated with them, the chances of a person successfully losing weight without changing their thoughts or beliefs are very slim.

This is why becoming aware of our self-talk or predominant thought patterns is extremely important if we want to achieve the level of success we want.

Here are five negative beliefs that may be affecting our current level of success. To replace each negative belief, a better, empowering thought is suggested that will help us shift our thinking and start achieving more of what we want.

I have missed the boat as my best days are behind me. This is similar to someone believing they are too old to achieve what they want in life so they won’t even allow themselves to dream big or do what’s required to achieve the results they want. A better, empowering thought is, “Anything is possible for me if I am clear on why I want it and am willing to do what’s required.”

It’s unlikely I’ll be successful in the future because I haven’t achieved the success I want now. This is the belief that our current reality will dictate what we are capable of achieving in the future. There is a saying that “the past does not necessarily equal the future.” A better, empowering thought is, “I can achieve the success I want by developing new skills, acquiring new knowledge, and developing new behaviours.”

Everything is fine with me and my life. It’s often said that when someone says they are “fine,” the truth is they are masking things or are in denial. Fine means we are choosing to settle for the life we have fallen into rather than choosing to design the life we want. A better, empowering thought is, “Even though things are not ideal for me right now, I am doing the best I can to create the life I want.”

It will take a lot of hard work to achieve the success I want. While there can be no substitute for hard work, how we are working and what we are working on, often determines whether we’re being effective or not. A better, empowering thought is, “I can choose to work hard on a few things to get what I want instead of working hard on many things and not staying focused.”

I am not worthy to have the success I want. Self-worth beliefs restrict so many people from taking the necessary actions to create the results they want. Underneath it is the fear of not being good enough or the fear of failing, so it’s easier to make up excuses as to why we cannot have the success we want. A better, empowering thought is, “Achieving the success I want will not only benefit me but it will also allow me to serve others in a much bigger way so it’s okay for me to have the success I want.”

Our beliefs about ourselves, others and the world control what we are willing or not willing to do to achieve what we want. In order to change our results, we first have to change our beliefs. By taking on positive, empowering beliefs, we are more likely to achieve what we want in life.

Action Step: Reflect on your most recent experience where you did not achieve a result you wanted. Based on your new awareness about negative beliefs, choose three things you can do next time you are in a similar situation.

Question: What is another negative belief that can affect our chances of achieving the success we want?